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Report: U.S.-funded weapons reaching Syrian rebels

Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY
9:25 a.m. EDT September 12, 2013

Rebel fighters sit on top of a tank that formally belonged to the Syrian army during a battle with government forces in the rebel-held northwestern Syrian province of Idlib on Monday.(Photo: By Mohammed Kaddour, AFP?Getty Imagesges)

The CIA has been delivering weapons to rebels in Syria over the past two weeks, with contributions of vehicles and other equipment from the State Department, The Washington Post is reporting.

U.S. officials are hoping the donations will boost the muscle of the rebel fighters in Syria's 2 1/2-year civil war, according to the Post, which cited "U.S. officials and Syrian figures."

The Post says the effort is aimed at supporting rebel Gen. Salim Idriss, commander of the Supreme Military Council, a faction of the fractured opposition. The Post said some of its sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because part of the initiative is covert.

CNN, also citing an official who declined to be identified, said it had confirmed the Post's report. "That is something we are not going to dispute, but we are not going to publicly speak to it," the official said.

The weapons are not American-made, but are funded and organized by the CIA. They started to reach rebels about two weeks ago, the official told CNN, adding that the materials were described as light weapons, some anti-tank weapons and ammunition.

The Syrian National Coalition and the Free Syrian Army denied the reports, telling CNN they have received weapons from the United States.

"We have some promises from the U.S. administration of shipment of weapons in a short period of time, but until now we have not received any," said Free Syrian Army Political and Media Coordinator Louay al-Mokdad.

Contributing: John Bacon

Secretary of State John Kerry departed for Switzerland late Wednesday night. Secretary Kerry is scheduled to meet with his Russian counterpart on the proposal for international inspectors to seize and destroy Syria's chemical weapons. (Sept. 12)
AP